This invention relates to curative fungicidal formulation containing copper ion. The invention concerned with protective/Curative systemic fungicidal formulation containing copper ion in an extremely low concentrations comparing to the currently available preparations.
Copper compounds are considered as the earliest compounds used to combat phytopathogenic fungi. The most common copper compounds used as protective fungicides are cuprous oxychlorides, copper oxides and hydroxides. The use of these compounds as fungicides has been restricted to the protective effect. Some copper salts are water-soluble and therefore are used as plant spray whereas salts are deposited on the surface of the plant and kill fungi found on these surfaces. This mode of action is protective mode as it prohibits fungi from penetration into plant tissues. In the meantime, the infected plants remains unaffected with the treatment due to the fact that copper ions are not capable of penetration into plant tissues and therefore, has no curative actions on the fungi found inside the plant tissues. Therefore, use of these salts is restricted to a very narrow scale which is the protective control. Besides, it can not be used in large amounts for environmental safety and human health hazards.
Fungicides are mainly divided into two categories, namely protective fungicides and curative/systemic fungicides. Protective fungicides are fungicides that act to protect plants from fungi by controlling these fungi outside the plants. Curative fungicides are fungicides that penetrate into plant tissues and kill fungi found inside plant tissues. Curative fungicides becomes more valuable if they have a systemic effect i.e. having a capillary movement inside the plant. It is worth noting that curative/systemic fungicides are used in relatively small amounts comparing to protective fungicides.
It is an object of this invention to provide a new curative/systemic fungicidal formulation containing copper salts as an active ingredient. The said formulation is characterized by having a capillary movement inside the plant tissues.
The invention relates also to a method for preparing a new systemic fungicidal formulation to be used curatively whereas copper salts are prepared in a special form that allow copper ions to penetrate into plant tissues and thereby becomes active against fungi. Since this formulation contains copper ions, it has a primary protective effect when sprayed on the plants.
The invention relates also to method of controlling harmful fungi using the new protective/curative formulation. Fungi that can be controlled by this new formulation are the following for example
Phytophthora infestans in tomatoes (Late blight)
Pseudoperonospora cubensis in cucumber (Downey mildew)
Plasmopara Viticola in grapes (Downey mildew)
Alternaria solani in tomatoes (Early blight)
Alternaria solani in potatoes (Early blight)
Mycospharilla fragari in strawberry (Leaf Spot)
Alternaria puri in onion (Purple blotch)
Brimia lactota in lettuce (Downey mildew)
Cercosporidium personatum in peanut (Leaf spot)
Alternaria alternata in sunflower (Leaf spot)
Botrytus faba in bean (Leaf spot).
These and other advantages will become apparent after reviewing the detailed description.